Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
Epigastric Discomfort, Esophagus Burning. Could This Be Making My Arthritis Symptoms Worse?
Question: I do have OA moderately. Had an abcessed tooth one week ago. Took Clindamycin and also had procedure done by Endodontitis, including a root canal and I and D. Area of gum, is healing well, Not on clindamycin now due to epigastric discomfort and burning in espophagus. Question is, could this be making my arthritis symptoms wrose? I can hardly get up out of a chair and stiff and achy to walk especially in hips. Can't take much except Tylenol since I have a Pacmaker/defibrillator. Could this dental issue be making the arhritis worse?
Hello and thank you for submitting your question.
Your question is a good one and I will work on providing you with some good information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
Regarding your dental infection it is certainly possible that this could exacerbate your arthritis. when the body is fighting infection this becomes an inflammatory process. With inflammation this can lead to swelling in multiple parts of the body including the joints. In your case you already have a baseline degree of inflammation which causes pain in your joints. With the current infection this is making things worse.
It is possible that you may need a continued course of antibiotics to completely eliminate the infection. If you're not allergic to penicillin it might be reasonable to change your treatment to penicillin instead of clindamycin. Clindamycin is a good antibiotic but can sometimes cause gastrointestinal side effects.
In addition I think it is also critically important that you maintain a good nutrition daily as well as good hydration. This includes drinking at least seven or eight glasses of water per day. I suspect that has the infection improve your overall energy as well as the symptoms of arthritis will improve as well.
I can appreciate your dealing with a frustrating situation and I hope my response has been helpful for you. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Your question is a good one and I will work on providing you with some good information and recommendations regarding what is going on.
Regarding your dental infection it is certainly possible that this could exacerbate your arthritis. when the body is fighting infection this becomes an inflammatory process. With inflammation this can lead to swelling in multiple parts of the body including the joints. In your case you already have a baseline degree of inflammation which causes pain in your joints. With the current infection this is making things worse.
It is possible that you may need a continued course of antibiotics to completely eliminate the infection. If you're not allergic to penicillin it might be reasonable to change your treatment to penicillin instead of clindamycin. Clindamycin is a good antibiotic but can sometimes cause gastrointestinal side effects.
In addition I think it is also critically important that you maintain a good nutrition daily as well as good hydration. This includes drinking at least seven or eight glasses of water per day. I suspect that has the infection improve your overall energy as well as the symptoms of arthritis will improve as well.
I can appreciate your dealing with a frustrating situation and I hope my response has been helpful for you. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to address them.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Reply-----
I am allergic to Penicillin. Would it be effective to take a lower dose of Clindamyacin to see if it would be tolerated and then take it longer. Thank you.
I am allergic to Penicillin. Would it be effective to take a lower dose of Clindamyacin to see if it would be tolerated and then take it longer. Thank you.
Hello and thank you for your follow-up question.
Since you are allergic to penicillin it would be reasonable to consider a couple of other options. You could potentially take the clindamycin at a lower frequency meeting twice per day and see how that goes. Another option which might be more advantageous would be to change to a different antibiotic such as Bactrim. lastly I want to make sure you're taking your current antibiotic optimally. Clindamycin is a medication which I always tell my patients to take with some food. In addition I would recommend that you drink 6 ounces of water with each dose of the medication. This will help to make sure that the medication travels to your stomach without you're taking your esophagus.
Thank you again for submitting your question. It has been a pleasure in discussing your health concern. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to discuss that with you as well.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Since you are allergic to penicillin it would be reasonable to consider a couple of other options. You could potentially take the clindamycin at a lower frequency meeting twice per day and see how that goes. Another option which might be more advantageous would be to change to a different antibiotic such as Bactrim. lastly I want to make sure you're taking your current antibiotic optimally. Clindamycin is a medication which I always tell my patients to take with some food. In addition I would recommend that you drink 6 ounces of water with each dose of the medication. This will help to make sure that the medication travels to your stomach without you're taking your esophagus.
Thank you again for submitting your question. It has been a pleasure in discussing your health concern. If you have any additional concerns I would be happy to discuss that with you as well.
Sincerely,
Dr. Robert
Note: For further queries, consult a joint and bone specialist, an Orthopaedic surgeon. Book a Call now.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
